Vicente's Demon
by notLiterallyFRIST
Summary: Vicente Valtieri is left perplexed as what first appeared to be an easy kill, a contract to be done like any other, turns to be his most vexing demon; a challenge to his expertise. How long can a person truly evade the Dark Brotherhood?


**A/N: **It's been a long time since I've posted anything, mostly due to the fact that I was unceremoniously kicked out by overzealous prudes who couldn't see the progress of a learning author who only wants to share her work! So after to years (I think?) of being absent, here I am again with _Vicente's Demon_, starring none other than salacious Vicente himself, of course! Do try to enjoy the prologue, and please leave a review if you wish.

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**Prolo****g****ue**

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The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows over yellowed pages of paper scattered across the rich, dark surface of a desk where Ocheeva had spent most of the day working through registries of past contracts to sort everything in order. Of all the people Vicente had met in over three hundred years of his life, she was the only one he knew who would have a spark in her eye by the mere _idea_ of paperwork. He lost count of how long he'd been watching the scaled creature gracefully bend her lithe serpentine body over densely-written documents, sorting and then keeping them in neat stacks around her on the tabletop or on the floor. He loved how the light bounced most captivatingly off of what was visible of her vibrant scales under a standard issue, long-sleeved Dark Brotherhood uniform that seemed to hug her curvature rather nicely. The multicolored feathers on her hairless scalp looked like a rainbow crown on her reptilian head; it was a shame she wore a hood all too often during outings, otherwise he'd have more time to admire them... and _everything else_ about her.

She must've grown annoyed of his unnerving, unblinking stare to finally acknowledge his presence there in her office. "She lives," the Argonian said, her voice just as coarse as her skin.

It took a few moments for her words to reel the vampire out of his trance, and even then he did not immediately understand all that she meant, despite the quickness he was usually known for. "What do you mean?" he asked, scratching his dark brown hair that was banded in a low-hanging tail just above the nape of his neck.

"Lady Selene still walks the streets of Leyawiin." The name she spoke of was not unfamiliar to him, but he could not recall a single thing about the person it belonged to. Ocheeva glared through bloodshot slit eyes that expressed her dissatisfaction clearly. "You've failed to kill her."

Now it was all coming back to him. One of the easier contracts which was due two weeks ago that he thought was finished the moment he sent an underling — two weeks ago as well — to do the work for him. And yet how could his agent have failed? "That cannot be," the vampire denied, standing up as if it would make his defense any more valid. "I sent our _best_ assassin there. What of him?"

"You sent an _initiate_." If Argonians had eyebrows, hers would be furrowing angrily. Vicente nodded sheepishly in admission, and even blushed a little. Ocheeva resigned to a sigh and lifted her head from all the paperwork on her desk before standing to match her colleague's height. "Missing, perhaps dead. My informants in the city said nothing of seeing him leave Selene's residence, although they _have _seen him entering through an open window."

Vicente's held his mouth agape as astonishment conquered him. The green boy he sent may not have been the most experienced among their ranks, but that he failed at killing a defenseless, unguarded damsels such as Lady Selene was simply appalling. "I shall have to take a stab at Selene myself," he declared confidently, intent on repairing his shattered pride.

"You would be wise to do it, and soon. It was King Gothryd of Daggerfall himself who prayed to the Night Mother for Selene's death," she reminded him, her expression grim and dour, but only to a mask the true fear beneath. "He has the power to wipe out an entire province off the face of Tamriel. You know what he may do to us should we fail and anger him." Her tone, this time, was a bit more unsure. Her less common side was showing; one of uncertainty from which nothing in existence might escape, unlike what she'd like to believe as the head of their local branch of the Dark Brotherhood. He understood that she had to be strong — if not for them, then in accordance with the will of Sithis.

"Royal bastards are always so impatient, are they?" Vicente chuckled at his own attempt to lighten up the gloom, to no response from his Dark Sister. Ocheeva wouldn't likely be amused anyway, even if it were not for the stress caused by the recent failure on his behalf. "Fine," he said. "I will go to Leyawiin myself and present Lady Selene as a fine sacrifice for Sithis."

Having returned to her desk, Ocheeva did not take her eyes off the paperwork a second time as she waved a dismissive hand and said, "Go, your time is short."

Vicente turned and was about to take his leave, but not before looking back to give his last wink to the Argonian hiding herself behind mountains of yellowed paper.

"You're leaving for Leyawiin on the morrow?" an overly curious Antoinetta asked, her interest in Vicente piqued as always, her large blue eyes inquisitive, invasive, and all over him as he prepared himself for the journey.

"Yes, quite indeed. A target of the Brotherhood there was not successfully eliminated by your fellow initiate, so I will have to do the killing myself," he answered, sliding a hand into a dark glove.

There was light in the Breton girl's eyes. "Not necessarily..." she beamed, and with a swift move, she wrapped Vicente's arm around herself as he spread a jacket open, to the surprise of everyone who were in the training room that night. "We could work together!" she batted her lashes.

The girl may have as well forgotten the unspoken tenets of the Dark Brotherhood that she only willingly joined _if _for him only. "Our Dark Brothers and Sisters work alone," he reminded her, forcing her off his hold. "And no fraternizing."

The little thing looked so pitiful as she frowned, her heart-shaped face looking like a broken heart with a tendril of golden hair falling down her forehead like a crack. Her eyes were turning glassy, her cheeks red, and she had begun to cry. "I was only thinking of you," she wept, choking back tears.

With her audible wailing echoing throughout the subterranean halls of their hideout, everyone's attention was on them, and Vicente felt especially humiliated as he stood awkwardly beside girl reduced to tears to the audience of a beady-eyed crowd. He tried to soothe Marie but she only cried louder, muttering things like: "I just wanted to help! I'll be twice the help _he _was! I thought you cared about me! Vicente, don't leave me!" The girl fell to her knees and sprawled herself across Vicente's feet, shedding her tears on them. Whispers were beginning to be spoken amongst the spectators, "_What's wrong with Antoinetta? Why is she crying? What did Vicente do to her?_" At that moment, he felt physically ill as embarassment washed over him, and he wanted nothing more than to get out of there — _fast_. Quickly he waddled toward the Black Door, single-minded in his endeavor, ignoring the Breton girl desperately clinging onto his ankle. "Don't leave me!" she pleaded, but the pain as the Black Door slammed shut on her wrists loosened her grip.

The red welts on her hand soon turned into black and blue bruises that pulsed endlessly with pain. Antoinetta had no prior thought that Vicente was so heartless to do her harm... and then leave her as she wallowed there in agony. She lamented the harsh reality that not even Vicente liked her, and started tearing out her hair in clumps.

Seeing the pitiful thing bawling her eyes out at the Black Door, another went and soothed her — or at least, _tried _to. "Fret nothing, Marie," Teinaava consoled the teary mess, taking caution not to touch her, knowing her for the lizard-hater that she was. "You'll be seeing him again in no time soon."

"I want to be with him, damn the Night Mother! I want to reap the souls that Sithis hungers by _his_ side! I want to feel the blood spray over my face as he does!" she shrieked, grabbing the unprepared Argonian by his shoulders. Her ferocity had now eclipsed that of Ocheeva's the day M'raaj-Dar relieved himself on her assorted registries — and Teinaava, captive, could only stare as her face contorted to one of pure madness. "Do you not understand, you filthy lizard? I WANT VICENTE!" Traumatized, Teinaava crumpled onto the cold floor a teary mess himself as Antoinetta let go of him and marched off to her chamber, leaving anyone who had seen what transpired that night in intimidated silence.

No-one dared to knock upon the locked door as she continued to weep away the sorrows of the night, despite the fact that it was not _her _room she had caged herself in.

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**Prolo****g****ue**

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**A/N:**So it may not seem first as promising as it may be, but I assure you the story and the writing will improve! So please leave a review and share your thoughts. I appreciate your feedback verily.

**- LiterallyFRIST**


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